In life we go through things I call uncontrollables, such as a family member dying, slipping and breaking your arm, getting laid off at work. These are all things that we have no control over and can at times put us into a state of depression, stress and negativity. I wanted to share a story about myself that happened recently in which I had an uncontrollable situation occur having all of these sorts of feeling and negative urges yet in the end it all turned out positive.
So let’s rewind about 3 months ago. Diana had said she planned on competing at the Wbff World Championships and asked if it was something I wanted to do. My first reaction was no. It’s not my thing, I do not have the passion for it and how will I fit the time in. After about 2-3 weeks I decided I wanted to go for it. I was competing in the Male Fitness category. I would have to get my mind and body connected in a way to not only look the best I could but mentally be as strong as I could be. To those of you who have competed you understand how physically and mentally draining it can be. I started training very hard and switching my diet. About 8 weeks out we got a huge opportunity; it was time to Open Hitch Fit Gym here in Kansas City. I knew I would have to put my Training on the backburner for about 2-3 weeks because we had to flip the gym head to toe with new paint, floors, signs, equipment, everything. We were working 16-20 hours a day during that period of time and did not have the time to train properly or stick on the diet I needed to. We got through that and started finding the balance again. Staff infection 20 days before the show.
On August 27th I woke up in the morning feeling very sick and one of my arms was about 2 inches bigger then the other. My first reaction was I thought I got bit by a poisonous spider. After a few days it was only getting worse. I was unable to sleep it was one of the most painful things i have ever gone though. I was left with no range of motion, I couldnt even scratch my head. I would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and with chills at the same time. I checked myself into a hospital. The Dr. didn’t really look at it and made a quick assumption. He scripted me some mild antibiotics and sent me on my way. After about 5 days of taking the meds I was still getting worse. I went from being able to bench press 380 lbs to not being able to do 1 pushup literally overnight. I refused to quit but I started questioning if this was going to keep me off stage. I got a second Dr. to look at it and she instantly said that is not a spider bite that is a staff infection and one of the worst ones I have ever seen. If not treated in a period of time you could lose your arm. She got me on the strongest antibiotic on the market and took great care in making sure it was working. The infection slowly started going away but I had all this excess fluid under my skin. I used to laugh and say I look like Popeye. After about 10 days it was still there and still had pain. At this point I felt there was no way I was going to be able to compete and almost pulled out. I was going to have to get cut open to get the infection and drain my arm. I would have to get stitches which meant that I could not get on stage because I could possibly re-infect it. The morning before the surgery I woke up and the infection was gone, it was like a miracle. My arm had 100% motion and I was able to do pushups. I got very emotional at that point because in a blink of an eye all my hard work getting ready for this show was wasted then the next blink I WAS BACK!!!!
From that day forward I worked my tail off training 3 times a day and got on a very strict diet. I had 13 days to get somewhat presentable on stage. I had to lean on many peoples shoulders through this few weeks, Diana was always a positive foundation for me, family, friends and clients all chipped in to keep me focused on what they knew I needed. I had a goal and I never quit. No matter if I had one arm or not I was going to step on stage. I remember working out with only the right side of my body and training my clients with one arm. I said well if I lose my arm then I will just have to market myself as the best 1 armed personal trainer/ fitness model. So last weekend was show time. I got my body to 192 lbs at about 3% body fat. I ended up finishing 8th out of 30 which I was very disappointed about but like I heard from someone one time, “If you do not want to be judged then run track”
I was on stage with 30 of the top Fitness Models in the World but it was like the only person I was really competing against was myself. I was fighting to compete or not compete. I didn’t want the disappointment of losing and people saying better luck next time. This to me was not about everyone else. This was more about me fighting through what I did and beating it. I was chosen by all the Major Fitness Magazines in Canada to shoot with their publication while I was there. It was a great opportunity and experience. Make sure to keep your eyes open in the Inside Fitness, Status Fitness and Maximum Fitness.
What I did gain out of this experience was more then being able to step on stage. It was a personal victory for me. At times our minds have us thinking the worse, feeling like we cannot overcome something. I had those sorts of thoughts. Then when you say enough is enough, that is the point where you start progressing. Whatever you may be dealing with in your life, I promise you in time you too will step on stage and shine
Hope you have a wonderful upcoming weekend. How about this weekend you go for walk or start cutting some of the junk food out of your life. I promise you will feel better. We cannot control uncontrollable but we can day in day out make the best choices possible to better our lives
